1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a structure for stepping into and out of vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicles such as campers, trailers, mobile homes and certain types of construction vehicles are difficult to enter and exit without assistance due to their high clearances. Accordingly, various stepping structures have been proposed to facilitate ingress and egress.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,370,865 discloses a stair for climbing into and out of a trailer. The stair is mounted in front of a door of the trailer and can be swung up and to the side into a storage area.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,406,984 teaches a stepping structure in which a storage compartment for a stair assembly is mounted on the bottom of a camper. In use, the stair assembly is pulled out and bolted to the storage compartment for support.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,756,622 illustrates a stair assembly which is slidable between an extended position and a retracted position on a support structure mounted on a vehicle frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,053,172 describes a ladder for climbing onto and down from a construction vehicle. The ladder, which is permanently suspended from the construction vehicle, includes two pivots which allow the ladder to yield in two mutually perpendicular planes upon striking an object.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,502 discloses an assembly in which an operating mechanism for an extensible and retractable step is housed beneath an entrance to a motor home. The operating mechanism, which is activated by the vacuum of the motor home engine, swings the step to and from a storage location underneath the motor home entry.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,257 teaches a ladder assembly for a flatbed truck. The assembly includes a support frame which is secured to the underside of the truck bed, and a ladder which is pivotally connected to the support frame for movement between an extended position and a collapsed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,457 illustrates a stepping structure for a camper. The stepping structure comprises a frame which is fixed to the rear of the camper, and the frame supports a pair of steps which can be folded against and secured to the frame.
Common to all of the above stepping structures, which include storable step assemblies, is the fact that in the storage position at least part of the assembly is directly in front of or underneath the door served by the assembly. This is not always advantageous. Moreover, it would be desirable if the storable step assemblies with more than one step could be simplified. It would also be desirable for a step assembly to be storable relatively easily without unduly reducing the clearance of a vehicle served by the assembly.